Eluding the Labyrinth

Fons et Origo

Clickety-Clack

Kairav pressed his temples lightly to soothe the ache that had manifested over the last half an hour. Although the sitting area was extravagantly spacious, it seemed to have shrunk over time. After examining  Vansh and Neil's uncomfortable expressions, he was sure they felt the same way. 

He took a deep breath in and subconsciously glanced at Abhimanyu. Abhimanyu tapped his feet continuously with his jaw clenched, occasionally throwing a glare at Abeer. 'Now he will stand up and try to break the door open,' Kairav thought. Just as predicted, Abhimanyu got up and again made a futile attempt to enter the penthouse. 

'This is his forty-eighth attempt,' Neil mouthed to Kairav and Vansh in exhaustion. Vansh gave him a sympathetic pat on the shoulder before urging him to calm Abhimanyu down. He walked towards Abhimanyu, after letting out a fatigued sigh, informing him for the forty-eighth time that the door was electronically locked. 

"Why?" Abhimanyu yelled in exasperation, "What's the need?"

"Bhai," Neil whined. 

The brothers repeated the debate they had for the past half an hour, making Kairav's headache worse. He frowned when his eyes caught Abeer intensely typing, unperturbed by the chaos around him. He had read that Abeer Mittal was an indifferent person by nature to most but seeing it upfront was completely different.

 'How can he work with so much going on?' he wondered. Kairav was accustomed to working despite numerous troubles haunting him; however, he was never this steady and collected.

"I think we should go," Vansh suggested catching everyone but Abeer's attention, "it has been thirty minutes, I don't think Akshu would come out soon. Bade papa and everyone would be concerned too. Let's inform them and come back."

"But Vansh..." Kairav started to protest. This was the first outburst Akshu had in years. Ever since Sirat's death she always let go or compromised, today something shifted in her and Kairav shuddered at the thought of what it might be. He was not there during her toughest times, hence he did not want to leave he alone this time.

"Kairav," Vansh interrupted him, "Abeer checked on Akshu, she is fine. We both know she needs time alone."

"She has never acted like this before. You know she gets panic attacks. We need to be here!" he argued. They continued to reason with one another making the Birla brothers scratch their necks in discomfort. 

"Bhai, when we argue, is this how others feel?" Neil whispered. 

"Don't know," Abhimanyu muttered, " it was always us that fought in front of others, not the other way around." Neil nodded in agreement, shifting his focus back to Kairav and Vansh. Abhimanyu's gaze fell on Abeer and he felt the vein on his forehead throb in irritation. 

Abeer had not bothered to look up at the commotion in front of him as if they were speaking gibberish that wasn't worth his time. 'How can he not be concerned for his best friend?' Abhimanyu criticised. Ever since he had arrived Akshara took care of his smallest needs but he did not seem worried about her at all. 'Dost aur Behen dono ek jaise hai,' he gritted his teeth.  Rolling his eyes, he shifted his attention from the ungrateful imbecile to the Goenka brothers.

"Kairav, I just want us to reassure others and then we can come back," Vansh exhaled in exasperation. 

"Then you go," he replied, "I am not leaving."

"And what is staying here going to achieve? Is she going to come out?"

"Vansh is right," Abhimanyu interrupted them and stepped forward. Putting his hands inside the pockets, he taunted Abeer, "We all know Akshu. She is hurt, she won't come out on her own as some people assume she would." He took another step forward, and proposed, "Let's inform Bade papa and then think of ways to enter or at least speak with Akshu"